James Madison Park master planning process focused on community engagement, access
James Madison Park master planning process focused on community engagement, access
By Abigail Becker, The Cap Times
“Prior to becoming one of Madison’s four waterfront community parks, the area now known as James Madison Park was an important home to boat building and an active Lake Mendota ice harvesting operation.
It began to take shape as a park when the city purchased land and created Conklin Park, named after James Conklin’s Ice House business, in 1939, but it was not until 1963 when the city expanded the area along Gorham Street that James Madison Park began to form.
“It’s been a community destination for a very long time,” said Sarah Lerner, city of Madison landscape architect and project manager.
Now, the city is looking toward the next 15 to 20 years of the downtown park, located at 614 E. Gorham St. Its potential future is mapped out in a master planning document. For the past year, the city has been studying the park, soliciting public input and developing a long-term planning guide…”